July 16, 17, 2015
Copán Ruins, Honduras
Copán was once one of the most beautiful and important cities of the Maya. Over the course of 400 years, the Maya people of Copán shaped a small valley in western Honduras into a great city building pyramids, temples, plazas, sculpting intricate statues of kings, gods, and animals, and decorating it all in beautifully colored stucco. Every city in the Maya world is know for being "specialized" at something. Copán is famous for the both the quantity and quality of the carved stone sculptures that decorated plazas and temples in its ceremonial center - it is known by archeologists as the most "artistic" of all Maya cities.
After stressing about not having my residency stamp until the day before and fretting that it would not happen (anything is possible in this part of the world) we left Guatemala City early Thursday morning for Copán, Honduras. Along with us were our dear friends, President and Sister Cox, from the Guatemala Missionary Training Center (CCM). We were on our way for a great adventure! What a wonderful trip we had driving, talking, laughing, and experiencing this wonderful land with such good friends. This was our first trip to Honduras and we were not disappointed. After checking into Hotel Marina Copán and having lunch, we decided to go to check out the museum then go to the park in the morning when it is cooler.
Thursday, July 16
This is the original in the museum that is actually the restored replica on the bottom.. Quite a difference, but beautiful on its own.
The museum houses a combination of original and replica pieces.
When first entering the museum, one is amazed at the size and color of the temple set in the middle of the first floor. Archaeologist surmise that the original temple looked like this with its vibrant colors and majestic presence. During our visit here and in the park, if we looked closely, we could still see some of the original color on the stone.
Later that day, we went back to our hotel to rest before shopping and dinner. Our husbands really lucked out, THERE IS NO SHOPPING IN COPAN!...well, very little. We still managed to find something...a treasure to take home.
Friday, July 17
Thank you Coxes. We had a fanstastic time and look forward to more fun times exploring places in Guatemala and the United States!
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